Land of the Rising Sun

After a long night in Bangkok airport and a short asana practice there, I boarded my flight to Tokyo. The travelling has really added up on this trip and the fatigue is starting to take it's toll.

The approach to Tokyo gives me a long beautiful view of Mt. Fuji, whose snowcap has not developed yet, and I am heartened to return to my one time home by flying over the rice fields surrounding Narita airport.

I do, however, look terribly ragged at this point, having slept and eaten poorly for the last 24 hours, and having not had a shower in slightly longer. I have, stupidly, forgotten to shave, and arrive with a large and heavy backpack, and wearing a yoga t-shirt from Chiang Mai. Immigration's no problem, but as usual, the customs folks take a deep and abiding interest in me and just what, exactly, I'm bringing into the country. After explaining that 2/3 of my bag contains diving equipment, a tripod, and both yoga books and mat, I think I'm off the hook. The customs inspector in broken english expresses his pleasant suprise that I am busy with so many things. And then the unthinkable happens... he spots a pack of rolling papers in my bag.

It's time for a small admission: I smoke. I've always smoked, for something like 20 years now. I realize of course that this is an extremely unhealthy habit and I had, in fact, quit recently. But somehow after 24 hours of travelling out to Thailand, all I wanted was a cigarette, and I just let myself go. It's also important to note that I roll my own cigarettes. Hence the papers.

However, the customs officer has decided my bags need further inspection, and I spend the next hour in a small room while they rip apart my bags and ask endless questions about my things, my plans, where I'm staying, what I was doing in Thailand, why I worked in Japan, why I no longer work in Japan, etc. etc. My favorite part is the binder with poorly printed color photos of a wide variety of drugs, as well as black and white line drawings of the same (cocaine is a pile of dots, I kid you not, and everytime I see it, I'm terribly tempted to say that yes, I have been smuggling dots into the country). Most ridiculous however is when they ask me if I'm bringing pornography into Japan. Some of the nastiest pornography I've ever had the misfortune to see is sold in vending machines on the streets and read 0penly by people on the subway.

After finishing with my bags, the woman asks me if I know about the people who swallow large packages for drugs.
'Drug mules?' I respond.
'Hai. So desu.' A pause. 'Are you a drug mule?'
Sigh. 'No.'
'Would you object if we x-rayed you or searched inside your person?'
At this point I told her I would be deeply offended as I had been to Japan many times, and was hassled by customs officials without fail. While she would not explain why I had been routinely targeted, she did decide to 'trust me' and I managed to avoid a cavity search. Hooray for me!

Regardless, Japan is beautiful. My practice here has been deeply abbreviated to fit with the ridiculous schedule I've been keeping to see my old friends. Suffice to say, I've somehow spent more than half my time here in restaurants or bars.

I'll be leaving tomorrow to return to NYC, and look forward to seeing my home, my kitties, and of course the OMmies.

Ganbatte! brett.

Back in Class

Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in northern Thailand. Surrounded by an old moat and the remnants of city walls and home to a population of around 250,000, it's a destination for tourists, backpackers, and host to a number of export industries. I've spent a lot of time photographing the ridiculous profusion of flowers here - every time I think that there can't possibly be something else I haven't seen, there it is... and that's just walking around the streets! There was also a wonderful market sunday night that stretched across half of the old city, and right into the wats(buddhist temples).

Even better for me, Chiang Mai has a nice yoga studio called Yoga House. I stopped by there the other night not really sure what I should expect. When I was in the islands in the south, the dive masters there (a very humorous and practical bunch) were deeply ambivalent about the Tantric Yoga retreat center there, mentioning odd sexual practices, and strange, half-starved, almost zombie-like students. Since the divers were people I had already entrusted my life to, I decided to skip investigating for myself.

Yoga House, however, has no such reputation, and I was very pleased to meet its' founder, Adam. The first thing I noticed was how nice it was to be back in a classroom setting. As fantastic as the OM Yoga in a Box recordings and cards have been, I had really begun to miss the dynamics of the classroom and the direction of my instructors. It was very easy for me to imagine Adam teaching at OM, as he has a very playful almost mischievous teaching style, very gently poking fun at himself, his students, and the world in general. After my first class, I really felt fantastic, and due to the small class sizes, there was a fair bit of individual attention for each student. I returned to Yoga House for two more clases in the following days, and was deeply pleased with each class I took there. What's more, classes are a mere 200 Bhat, somewhere between $6 -$7.

Last night I conducted a short interview with Adam, asking him about his teaching style, teaching in Thailand and Yoga in general. I have the whole thing in an audio file, which I will be posting, along with pictures, when I return this Sunday.

Today is my last day in Thailand, and I have another grueling travel schedule ahead, which will soon land me for several days in Tokyo, where I'll be visiting old friends and seeking Japanese Yoga Schools. As for today's practice, Chiang Mai is also host to the National Thai Massage Training School, so I'll be taking advantage of that. 1 hour of Thai Massage goes for 250 bhat, if I recall correctly, about $8. So I'll be thinking of all of you while I get my massage.

kisses from paradise. brett

The First Fall

I turned tail north recently, to Chiang Mai, ostensibly to catch up with my friends who work in the Karen hill tribe refugee camp here. The trip was deeply costly by Thai standards (8000 bhat, about $250), inolved 2 taxis, a ferry, a bus, 2 planes, and some lovely downtime in Bankok's new airport; it also took 17 hours.

Up until this point, I had been very good about meeting the challenge every day, even if it meant doing asana in an airport. However, this day I had to get up at 5 am, pack, hop the taxi, and on and on. The only time I had was in Suvarnabhumi airport, which was really crowded, and I really didn't feel like making a day's practice here. By the time I arrived in Chiang Mai, I was really beat, and the day had been deeply challenging and aggravating. I was also really hungry for some decent food.

So at this point, I decided to skip the days practice, and get some curry... which was deeply satisfying. I later stopped by Sticky Rice, a rasta/blues bar and wondered half-seriously if there was some sort of beer asana...

alive and kicking, Chiang Mai, Thailand. brett.

Mouth Breather: An Addendum

I wrote before about using sama vritti breath to extend my dive times by preserving my oxegyn. Breathe control is, ultimately, the most important point in diving, making its' relationship to yoga significantly closer than I had imagined.

Breath control in diving allows one to literally rise and fall with inhalation and exhalation. Essentially, I can rise several feet or even meters in the water by breathing in deeply and then executing a slow release. Shallower breathing means less rise and fall. By making the most of this breath action, a minimum of actual energy and movement is needed to move through the water. Breathing to rise and fall, kicking to move forward, fin pivots (executed by internally or externally rotating the leg) for maneuvering. Hands should be tucked in to the chest and used only to hold in place, or ultimately, not at all.

But there's another trick to breath control. Scuba regulators work through mouth breathing. While diving one does not breathe in through the nose. However, breathing out through the nose is used for clearing masks fo stray water, or to relieve pressure within the mask as you go deeper (a woman I dived with, Eva, did not properly clear the presure in her mask, and had the worst case of mask squeeze I have seen - slightly blackened eyes, and many many broken blood vessels within the whites of the eyes themselves. In fact, they were almost completely red.) Regardless, divers speak of 'sipping the breathe', because the regulator will give you as much air as you request. So, if you breathe deeply, it's a little like being inflated in a cartoon.

So ultimately, breathing in diving is a very sophisticated operation. The better your breathe control, the less energy you use and the less oxegyn as well. I did however spend some very special time at my safety stops ( a pause at 5 meters for 3 minutes, say, to reduce the risk of decompression sickness resulting from too much nitrogen in the blood, otherwise known as the bends) floating neutrally buoyant in lotus postion. Total magic.

kisses from paradise.brett

Death in the Morning

The rainy season has started to make a move. The beautiful sunny days in the southern islands have begun to give way to rain and humidity, so much so that i have had to modify my yoga routine. I had been content to do my practice at pretty much any time of day, depending on the days activities and my meal schedule. When diving, yoga generally had to wait until my return much later in the day, as departure for the docks was at 7:30 am. On other days, sometimes when i woke up, sometimes in the afternoons.

The new weather leaves me sweating so profusely that 20 minutes or so into the routine, i have to stop, as my hands and feet can no longer find proper purchase on my mat - downward facing dog suddenly becomes face plant, and I figure my nose is big enough without breaking it. So, in order to keep up, I've had to start setting my alarm for 5:30 a.m. and doing my daily practice in front of my bungalow on the grass. This is only half hardship - the sea is 10 meters from where I practice, and I can listen to the waves as I work through various asanas. And at the end of each practice, I jump into the ocean for a quick swim, which is both cooling and refreshing. Of course, I have had to forego any chanting, so as not to wake anyone.

There is, however, another issue: mosquitoes. Insects and pests generally don't bother me; I'm content to shoo them out of my hut or home or office in most cases. Flys are slightly more difficult, as they don't shoo well, contrary to popular song. But still, I try not to kill anything. Mosquitoes are a different issue. They are here, in force, and the size of small cars. Additionally, they are only somewhat deterred by burning citronella candles, mosquito coils, and deet filled repellant, which I ordinarily wouldn't use, but here in Thailand you can get Dengue Fever, which is only deadly in the ultra rare hemmhoragic form. But I've met some people who got Dengue, and the one thing they told me was "It won't kill you - but you'll wish it had." You see my point.

So what to do about these swarming menaces during one's asana practice. I've taken to killing them. 10 years of kung fu training has given me very fast and accurate hands. But I've been struggling to keep to the spirit of ahimsa, but also take care of myself. Is it not somehow hypocritical to kill mosquitoes during asana practice? Smack! Better life next time, little friend.

kisses from paradise. brett.

full fathom five

greetings again from beautiful haad yao beach in thailand. i've been working hard to keep up with the challenge and i hope that all of the challengers are doing great.

the most interesting thing for me on this trip is how i keep coming back to breathing and breath control as important not only inside my asana practice, but in my day to day activities. there was first the sama vritti breathing on the flights over, and then again to help me sleep despite wicked jet lag and very loud, very bad music (seriously, have you ever had to listen to a dj who went from daft punk to don mclean to abba to natalie imbruglia in about 10 minutes? imagine all night at top volume. seriously, i needed calming.)

but the best application was yet to come. i went diving the other day at sail rock, which is arguably the best site in the gulf of thailand. it's a 40m granite pinnacle in the middle of the gulf, with sea life all over. i was very excited to be going here for my first dive, as it is just the sort of diver's heaven one strives for. and i was not disappointed, greeted by 100's of barracuda, fusiliers, wrasse, and morey eels. i was down at about 22m with one divemaster and one rescue diver. however, as the dive progressed, i was going through air much more quickly than my companions. i was taking huge gasping breaths, and i never felt quite like i could get my air. consequently, i had to finish my dive about 10 minutes sooner than my companions, and i was deeply frustrated. i managed to stay down much longer on the second dive by holding my breath in between inhale and exhale. this, however, is deeply stupid.

when scuba diving proper breath control is important. breathe too fast, your air runs out, your dive is too short, and then maybe someone else's is too. hold your breath in between inhale and exhale (known as skip breathing) and too much carbon dioxide builds up in your blood. it won't kill you, but it will make you tired and... force you to use more oxegyn to compensate. also, if you ascend while holding your breath you can burst your lung, because the air is compressed. so, these are all bad results.

when i returned to my bungalow that night, i found myself going back to Yoga Body, Buddha Mind, and re-reading the 3rd chapter. And there was the answer: Sama Vritti - calming breath. by thinking of diving as a modified asana practice, i could use my breath awareness and control from yoga as part of my diving.

our next day diving was at the marine park, which are a string of uninhabited islands in the gulf. the theory is that fishing here is off limits, but as we know, theory and practice are often too different things. regardless, i told my divemaster for these dives, Wendy, that i was having some trouble with breath control, that i would be working on it, and that if i blew it, she could send me back alone when i was out of air, because i don't want do cut anyone else's dive short. but as soon as i hit the water, i knew it would be different today. i felt relaxed, in control, and my breath came slow and easy. breathing compressed air isn't easy - it rushes into your lungs. but by excercising a strict level of control, i was able to stay under for 60 minutes each dive (maximum bottom time regardless of air), and only had a little less air than my divemaster. and she does this every day.

cheers from thailand. brett.

the things he carried

'oh, you carry too much!' this is my greeting as i finish my climb to the top of the cliff in haad rin, ko phan gan thailand. it's hot, and she's right, my bags somehow weigh too much. still, i've arrived at sun smile resort, a beautiful if vertiginous perch on a cliff overlooking the thai gulf. my room, clean fan bungalow with bath and uninterrupted 180 degree view of the bay and gulf costs 300 bhat - $9.

preparing for these trips is always arduous. you don't want any more than you can cary, but always, there are things you need that you wish you didn't - like the cold weather clothes for new york and tokyo that take up a significant amount of room in my bag - maybe 1/3. more important this time was how to prepare for the challenge. what would i need to take my yoga practice half way around the world, to be completed anytime, any place?

Suann gave me some great advice on what to bring to maximize my knowledge base while still fitting in with my technological constraints. i have no computer and no dvd player, so we settled instead on the basic and intermediate level OM Yoga in A Box series. I burned the cd's to mp3 and loaded up on my ipod, placed the cards in a small electronices bag, and even brought a belt and the incense (yay!). i also brought a mat, which i go back and forth about. maybe the right thing, but it takes up a lot of room. it does beat working out on the wood floor of my bungalow however, which is deply uneven.

i also brought along Cyndi Lee's Yoga Body, Buddha Mind which has been sitting on my bedside table which had been waiting to be read as soon as i got through all those back issues of the new yorker... i decided this book would give me additional insights not only into yoga, but into buddhism as well.

Each day here on ko phan gan, i wake up at 5:30 or 6, drink some water, and do my yoga practice looking out at the water. time is the one thing i have plenty of, so i have been savoring these hours of practice. when i finish, i hike down to the rocks by the bay and go swimming. it's lovely to be up this early, yoga complete, nice swim and then breakfast ahead. later in the day, i settle into my hammock and read from Cyndi's book. right now, i keep coming back to maitri breath... using it to calm myself on the plane, when i can't sleep, and i've even tried while floating in the ocean (this is a little hard... but it can be done as long as you're careful where you're drifting!)

sadly, today i had to leave my clifftop perch. the all night music from the beach below has not been restful enough. i've come, however, to a beautiful beach on the north side of the island called Haad Yao, which means long beach. so far it's lovely. tomorrow, i'm off scuba diving and i'm very curious how my yoga practice will interact with my diving activities. there are whale sharks in the area, so wish me luck!

starting out and getting there.

the week had an auspicious enough begining: regular classes with marisa, margi, and sarah; encouragement from su ann; and despite the hectic pace of getting ready for a long trip overseas, the calming feeling of daily practice at OM. but of course, each day brings new challenges to our idea of balance, and i have quickly turned mine on it's ear.

with a noon saturday departure, i knew i would not have time to make it in to the studio, then back home and on to the airport. i had also been considering over the last week how i was going to meet the challenges of daily asana practice with a 24 hour travel frenzy looming. how does one do yoga in coach on a 14 hour non-stop flight? maybe the breaks in between? in my seat, to the possible horror of my fellow passengers? the solutions turned out to be somewhere between mundane, ridiculous, and impossible. but it was really fun...

saturday morning i did my asana with cyndi lee's intermediate level dvd. it was a most welcome break from my goodbye party, the pre-vacation crush at work, and the scramble to have everything (or at least as much as possible) in place before my departure. i came out of shivasana sweaty, relaxed, completely calm, with an ear to ear smile. my cats were deeply interested.

a flight to tokyo is always arduous. it's approximately fourteen hours non-stop, give or take depending on headwinds, which this time were strong at well over 100mph, according to the map read out. the plane was crowded, and my hopes for finding a small spot somewhere in one of the aisles for a short asana practice were dashed by the number of people waiting to use the space to queue for the restroom and stretch themselves. i consoled myself with a short burt of warrior 1 - warrior 2 - reverse warrior - triangle pose. i felt much much better.

the layover in tokyo is supposed to be several hours, but our plane is late, again the headwinds, so i only have half an hour between deplaning and getting to my next flight. i decided to again use this opportunity to get a little practice in; i have no mat, not dvd, no blocks, no blanket.... no matter. narita airport is spacious and not so crowded, so i picked out a nice empty spot to do sun salutations, seated forward bends, and twists. luckily, the airport is carpeted so i'm not doing this on tile. my calves for some reason are particularly sore after the flight and they get some very welcome relief, especially by paddling my feet in down dog. to my great amusement as i was switching from warrior one to warrior two, an aiport cart went slowly by with driver and passengers staring at me while their cart belted out a high pitched tune of 'it's a small world'. and they think i'm weird...

after this, off to my next flight, a 6 hour jaunt from tokyo to bangkok. despite my initial feeling of joy and freshness following my narita airport workout, the plane begins to make me cranky: i'm tired of being boxed in, tired of the lights (significantly brighter), not particularly sleepy, and on and on... some maitri breath helps, but only just. i arrive in bangkok late, 1 a.m. by the time i get to my guest house and pass out. still tommorrow i must get another jet, this one to koh samui, and island in the thai gulf and then finally a ferry and a long hike to koh phangan, my first destination.

Prologue

Prologue: I took the first yoga challenge at OM some months ago. i can't even remember if that was spring or previous to that, but i believe spring. it was inspiring and edifying and i was excited to take part. a daily practice of something wasn't that foreign to me, but i was somewhat new to yoga, and committing to a class every day, while exciting, was different. my life was no longer structured around such a committment, and i had to change the way i worked, slept, ate, and yes, partied to make it work. it was, however, deeply rewarding.

my name is brett, and i'd describe my practice as moving into intermediate classes, but underconfident. i've thought a lot about that lack of confidence in my own practice, and really it's about my past. for the last 10 years i have practiced ving tsun kung fu regularly and my body has become deeply attuned to it's hard, close fighting techniques. while relaxing is key to success in kung fu, it is a different type of relaxation and a different type of effort. yoga has for me been an experience of letting go, of relaxing more deeply, of developing what the chinese call wu wei even more deeply. so this is one of many things i am working on.

when the new challenge came along, i immediately sought to sign up until i realized... i won't be there for most of it. instead, for the last 3 weeks, i would be in thailand and then tokyo. i wondered how my challenge would go without having om to go to, without my teachers there to guide me, and without my fellow OMmies to inspire and encourage me. so the purpose of this is to keep track of and share my daily practice, not only with myself, but with you.